Improving Architecture Education

To break in our new education category, Dr. Siamak G. Shahneshin, co-director of the Shahneshin.net interdisciplinary design, research and sustainability project in Zurich shares his thoughts on the future of architecture education.

A while ago, Rachel Munn, AIA, asked the following question: If we could imagine creating a new architectural school from scratch, what would architectural education look like? I would like to modify her question somewhat to ask the following: what is wrong with current academic architecture – specifically architect "educashion®" – and what is the cure? If I may straightforwardly answer this question: I believe the missing factor, the cause for these problems, is a lack of well-trained faculty.

Despite all stars here and there at well-known schools and developed programs, we are witnessing the failure of architecture institutions all over the world, even those with high standards and celebrated status. Based on travels I did thanks to a special grant, I was privileged to visit and attend a wide range of schools in Asia, Africa, America and Europe. One thing I noticed was that many programs were missing well-educated and trained instructors / professors.

Interest in an international debate on architectural pedagogy and practice is growing rapidly, but even with this and recent magazine editorials or special issues on architectural education, both academic and practice architecture are facing a state of crisis, with some professionals describing the current state of architectural education as "stuck," and losing its professional autonomy. These dialogues are missing what I believe is the most important single cause of this crisis: the uneducated / untrained instructor.

To prevent the situation from worsening it is necessary to address the relevant problems and work towards a general solution. There may be several potential causes for this crisis, but I believe that educating others is a positive first step towards the sustainability of architectural studies. The obvious solution is to reformulate architecture education in such a way that architects become more critically and dynamically educated.

When constructing an educational program, several important questions must be considered, such as the very definition of "teacher," the necessary skills of an architecture instructor and the type of future one wants to prepare the student for. Equally important is the endorsement of teamwork and interdisciplinary cooperation throughout a range of cultures.

Many architecture schools endorse a certain set of ideologies. The result often compromises individual inquiry and intellectual as well as artistic development. There are a number of schools of thought as to how dogmatic ideologies promote a systematic destruction of our urban environment. Architecture studios typically advance belief systems rather than expend their energies attempting to enable individual or group abilities in critical, dynamic thinking.

Our particular studio environment developed in response to the interest of many faculty members in promoting favored ideologies, ideologies which restricted their own ability to instill wide-ranging thoughtfulness and social responsibility amongst practitioners.

As noted, scholarly debates on architecture education suggest that there is a need for reassessing architecture programs. I would argue, however, that stopping here is not enough. We need teachers who combine an understanding of architecture with teaching ability as well as a real motivation to teach and inspire.

Experience: In the current pedagogy environment, some teachers who are entering the profession with doctorate degrees without having had the opportunity to design and erect a building or to evaluate treasured predilections.

Teaching Ability: It has been the practice of many architecture schools to throw practitioners into teaching with little or no preparation for this important role. Many teachers begin to teach unprepared to function as professional educators. Teachers initially find themselves without mentors or a clear direction. Having an excellent practice record or obtaining a PhD does not guarantee the creation of an architecture teacher.

Motivation to Teach: It is imperative that any training program for architecture teachers will cultivate in them the dedication needed to nurture the skills for good practice within our highly complex field. It is also important to note that teachers are not solely responsible for the development of the culture of a studio. The beliefs held by administration members will have many direct and indirect effects on the studio environment.

Having witnessed a high level of turnover in administrative placements, I believe that notoriety, marketing skills and the ability to conform to the beliefs of faculty members appear to be more important factors than skills required for maintaining a thoughtful pedagogical program. The current situation does nothing to help teach competent professionals who are enabled to contribute to the needs of society.

Several programs in architectural studies (such as the ones setup by the NAAB, EU Directive for Architecture Education, UNESCO Charter for Architectural Education and other organizations) do address these wider needs of communities and the world for more socially responsible and broadly educated architects. However, many programs remain somewhat sheltered from the external environment, and the result is that students are for the most part oblivious to what is missing from their own architectural education and from the discipline as a whole.

It is for these and the previously mentioned reasons that I see a need to improve architecture education, primarily through the development of a novel yet advanced post professional Architecture Teacher Education program.

dr. siamak g. shahneshin, AA, ETH, GSD
co-director, Shahneshin.Net: seestrasse 2o1a, ch-88o2 kilchberg-zurich
+ e siamak@shahneshin.net
+ t 41.76.4o6.7o.88 english/italiano
+ t 41.76.412.2o.2o deutsch/francais

Comments

[anon]

it would be nice too if we could sleep once in awhile and maybe just maybe get an assignment or 2 waived if we might want to attend the funeral of an immediate family member across country. just a little slack would be nice.